MANSFIELD ─ Imagination Child Care will open its doors in downtown Mansfield on Monday.
Located at 100 Park Ave. West, the center is enrolling children from 6 weeks to 11 years old. Co-owner and president Julie Wurthmann said enrolled children can remain until they turn 12.
With 24 years of experience in child care industry, Wurthmann said she is ready to expand the service to the center of Mansfield to respond to the strong demand.
The new facility’s name reminds people of its proximity to the Imagination District, she said.
Imagination Child Care’s hours are from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, though Wurthmann said she keeps the doors open longer to accommodate parents’ needs.
Students who take Mansfield City School buses can be picked up and dropped off at the center. Parents who have to work early in the morning can send their children to the center to wait for the buses.
The child care center just passed the last inspection from the Ohio Job and Family Services Department and is scheduled to open on March 1. Wurthmann said they are licensed to take 110 children and now have about 50 enrolled. The center is taking children on child care service from the Job and Family Service Department as well.
The owners purchased the spacious former bank building in June and have been working on renovating the place. The winding staircase was gone. New walls were put up.
There are about 10,000 square feet on the first and second floors. The outdoor playground takes up about 5,000 square feet.
The cafeteria and infant rooms for age six weeks to two and a half take up most of the first floor. Toddlers, preschool and school-aged children’s space are on the second floor. Multiple rooms could function as math, science or quiet/reading center. There is also an art center at the common area.
Wurthmann said the room for toddlers is connected with a restroom, which will help potty training.
Imagination Child Care provides breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner to the children. Ohio Education Department has approved all the menus. The center also serves infant formula and baby food.
With more than 50 children enrolled, Wurthmann said she has hired four lead teachers, two assistant teachers and one cook. She plans to recruit 10 more teachers in the next six months in response to the growing enrollment.
Parents can expect a structured learning environment for their children, Wurthmann said. The center uses the state-certified HighScope curriculum, which incorporates a lot of play with learning, for children under five years old. For school-agers, it follows Ohio’s Learning Standards.
“Even for infants, we have lesson plans,” Wurthmann said.
She said teachers will have something to work with children every day and will not “just sit here and watch them play with toys all day.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Imagination Child Care will only let parents take their children to the rooms in the first week.
Wurthmann said parents need to wear masks, take temperature checks at the door and wash their hands after entering the building. Teachers follow the same protocols and are asked to wash hands constantly.
For those interested, Imagination Child Care can be contacted at 567-560-2008 or its Facebook page.
